I am very excited to share this recipe with you all today, it is my tostone chicken gyros drizzled with coconut and mayo tzatziki sauce. It is glutenfree, whole30, paleo, and dairy-free. The recipe’s main carbohydrate is plantains, with veggies, and sauteed chicken. Though I love gyros, gyros are a greek dish, which is usually cooked meat, served on grilled pita bread, topped with veggies and a yogurt sauce called tzatziki. It has more calories, and also contains gluten and dairy.
For those who are not sure what a plantain is, plantains essentially in the banana family, they are larger and green, when ripe they are sweet, just like regular well-known bananas. Plantains can are used in cooking and baking, which is why they are given a different name, depending on which part of the world they come from. Plantains are starchy and mild in flavor, contain less sugar than regular bananas. They are a staple in West and Central Africa, the Caribean, Central, Northern, and parts of Southern America.
In Ghana green plantains are boiled and eaten with a sauce, converted into fufu which is eaten with soup. Yellow plantains are fried and eaten with bean stew (Koko and beans), turned into kelewele (diced fried plantains, seasoned with ginger, pepper, and salt) and the list goes on. All the foods I ate as a child. Plantains have always been a favorite of mine, though I was never a fan of the green plantain.
Tostones are found in the Caribean and Latin American cuisines. There are several names for this type of preparation of plantains. They are twice-fried green plantains. The plantains are lightly fried in oil, mashed and fried again for a few minutes. Often they are eaten with sauce or topped with meat. Depending on the country you are in. ( source, Wikipedia).
My recipe is great because it starts off with the tostone, then topped with sweet twice-fried plantain, so you have basically a double layer. The chicken is then added, along with vegetables, and sauce on top. I literally could eat this every day. Each bite gives you the sweetness from the fried plantain which sets it apart from other recipes. Tostones are pretty easy to make as long as you follow the recipe. The key is not to break the smashed plantain prior to the second fry. The tzatziki sauce is so delicious even without yogurt. I do have a none whole30/paleo version of it in on my Instagram feed from March of last year. Scroll down and feed the recipe directly underneath the photo. This recipe does not disappoint.
| Prep Time | 25 min |
| Cook Time | 30 min combined |
| Passive Time | 30+ minutes |
| Servings |
tostone gyros (3 pieces per person)
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- 1.5 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs cut into small strips
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2.5 tsp coconut aminos
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp old bay seasoning
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 green plantains cut into 5 pieces each diagonally
- 2 yellow ripe plantains cut same as above
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Water
- oil for frying
- 1/2 cup soft coconut cream I used trader joes coconut cream
- 1/4 cup Whole 30 compliant mayo I used primal kitchen
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cucumbers
- 1 tbsp fresh finely chopped dill
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp Lemon zest
- 2.5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp light olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 3/2 cup diced cucumbers
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- extra chopped dill
Ingredients
Chicken
Tostones
Whole30 Tzatziki Sauce
Toppings
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- In a medium bowl or zip lock bag, coat chicken with all of the spices, the aminos and 2 tbsp of olive oil. If using a bowl, cover with saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the sauce, whisk together the coconut cream and mayo until smooth. Next, add the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate.
- Score the skin of the plantain by cutting the skin lengthwise. Peel skin without breaking off pieces of plantain. but off the ends, then cut each one into 5 pieces diagonally.
- In two separate bowls filled with water, add 1/2 tsp in each, then add to one of the bowls the green plantains, and to the other, the yellow plantains, let sit for about 5 minutes. Heat 1/2 cup of light olive oil medium heat in a large skillet. When hot cook starting with the green plantains in oil, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Place on a paper towel.
- Next, smash each piece in between 2 pieces of parchment using the flat bottom of a small plate or small pan.
- Return to oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, add more oil as needed.
- Repeat with rest, can fry 5 or more pieces at a time. Be careful when removing ripe plantains from parchment, as they are soft so they fall apart easily.
- Place green plantains back on the paper towel and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Place the yellow and green on separate plates.
- Heat a 2 tbsp of oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. When hot add chicken, discard leftover liquid from the chicken. Cook chicken for about 10 minutes. Making sure to turn to flip, to cook all sides. Remove from heat.
- To plate place green tostones on a plate, then top each with the yellow plantain. Top with chicken, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. Drizzle with sauce, and a sprinkle of chopped fresh dill. Enjoy with extra sauce on the side. It can be quiet messy so make sure to have a napkin. Serving is 3 pieces per person with 1 leftover. Assuming each person eats 3.
These look AMAZING!! Def pinning and hope to try soon. I’m not a fan of the ripe plantains, but adore fried green ones — what a great appetizer or meal idea!
Try the sweet ones in this recipe, may change your mind 😊.
Miss you so proud of you I trying to get ready for this whole 30 thing
Awww thanks so much 😀
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try it. My MIL is Cuban and makes the best tostones, but I’ve always been too intimidated to try. This is giving me some encouragement 🙂
Never be to afraid, worst thing is having to remake it but practice makes perfect.
Holy cow,lady! This looks so amazing! I cannot wait to try it!
Thanks so much, hope you like it 😀!
This looks like an amazing recipe. Are all of the ingredients including old bay spice Paleo and could I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Oh wow!! Made these for fun Saturday night dinner. While they take a bit time and have a lot of components, it’s soooo worth it. Delicious! I never would’ve thought to combine Greek chicken and tostones! Thank you!
Thanks so much, I’m glad you like it. The just has different components.
This was delicious! I didn’t have coconut creme and cheated with Greek yogurt and it still turned out soo yummy. My family loved it! Thank you for sharing this, so appreciated. P.S. also an OB nurse here! 🧡
Thanks so much, I’m glad it turned out well. Greek Yogurt is a great sub.
These were amazing! Made them last night and loved the combination of flavors. I love Mediterranean flavors but pitas don’t agree with me and sometimes I’m looking for something other than a salad. The tostones were a perfect solution! This will be a regular in our house!
Yayyy, yes it a little bit better because it removes the gluten which can sometimes not agree with people
I am not a religious person, but this recipe had me seeing what might be heaven. The chicken has a well rounded complex flavor with simple ingredients. The tzatziki is to die for. And as one with a self proclaimed obsession with tostones/patacones, I could eat this entire thing and not share a bit. So great!!
Thanks so much for trying and the great feedback 😊.
In Step 4, I think the name of an ingredient is missing. You add 1/2 tsp of WHAT to the bowls of water? Thanks!
It’s is the salt, thanks I’ll fix it as soon as I can get into it
This recipe was delicious! It made my house smell amazing! I doubled the recipe and made this meal for two families that have recently lost loved ones in death. It was a great meal to prep ahead and just drop off at their door. Next time I’ll have to make them for me!
Awww sorry to hear about that. I’m happy you liked the recipe .